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Retracted Paper This paper aims to evaluate students’ feedback on the impediments to developing critical thinking in the classroom. Interpretative phenomenological analysis techniques were used to obtain data from postgraduate and undergraduate students of an Internal Auditing department in a South African university. The students identified several barriers to developing critical thinking in the classroom some of which are (1) the lecturers who are most times not knowledgeable in the field of critical thinking, (2) the students themselves who are simply not interested, (3) finally the educational system, according to the students who all argued that critical thinking is not ingrained in the country's educational institutions. According to the students, their lack of knowledge of critical thinking including the lecturers’ seeming insufficient knowledge of critical thinking calls for urgent intervention in the form of re-curriculation and training of lecturers. The findings of this research could have important implications for the auditing profession, as lecturers are often challenged to identify innovative ways to assist students in improving their critical thinking skills.

This paper explores stakeholder engagement in the strategic management process for service delivery in government. The main objective is to determine the factors influencing insufficient stakeholder engagement of strategic management processes for service delivery by a government department. The four moments of translation concept of Actor Network Theory (ANT) was utilised as a theoretical framework to understand and explain the interplay between the initiator of the network of service delivery and other actors in the network in aligning diverse interests to achieve service delivery goals. The assumption was that the phenomenon was ontologically subjective and that it was appropriate, epistemologically, to adopt an interpretive paradigm as the leading research philosophy, using a mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative elements wherein quantitative data was used to test the reliability of the qualitative data. Using the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) as a case study, a sample of 26 participants included 11 managers of WCED and 15 Khayelitsha Education Forum (KEF) members representing the community, school governing bodies and school principals and educators of 64 schools around Khayelitsha township. The study revealed that stakeholder engagement could address non-service delivery during service delivery strategy formulation and implementation. The findings suggest that a network of aligned interests should be established for continuous engagement in implementing strategic plans and service delivery in line with the mandate of Government departments and entities. The results imply intense arrangements and relationship building between government departments and citizens are needed to improve stakeholder relationships and alignment of service delivery expectations to reduce service delivery challenges.

Retracted Paper The need to train learners to think critically has been stressed and it has become a key concern among scholars in recent years. Although there is strong evidence demonstrating the benefits of critical thinking as well as proposals for its integration in schools, scholars are still looking for evidence demonstrating how teachers instill critical thinking in the classroom and the obstacles they face. Furthering this argument necessitated lecturers’ feedback on the obstacles to teaching critical thinking in the classroom. Data was collected from academics at a South African university of technology using interpretative phenomenological analysis approaches. The lecturers identified several obstacles that inhibited them from inculcating critical thinking in the classroom. The first one is time, according to the lecturers there is not enough time to inculcate critical thinking since the average lesson last for fifty minutes. The second is the large population of students. The third is the learners themselves who according to the lecturers are indifferent, unwilling to engage. Finally, the educational system according to the lecturers is based on rote learning and memorisation at all levels, which hinders creative, unique, and logical thinking. The findings of this study could have significant consequences for the auditing profession, as teachers are frequently pushed to come up with new approaches to help students improve their critical thinking abilities.

The South African construction sector is confronted by significant obstacles, particularly concerning cost overruns and project delays within the road construction sphere. This research sought to investigate the factors impacting cost and duration in road construction projects under the purview of a KwaZulu-Natal municipality. A qualitative research approach was adopted to explore this phenomenon. A sample size of 27 participants was selected from a population of 171 for in-depth semi-structured interviews. Critical determinants of cost overruns and delays were identified as ineffective communication, suboptimal procurement processes, deficient stakeholder management, and shortcomings in project execution and personnel capabilities. This study offers valuable insights into the relationship between cost, time, and the successful delivery of road projects within the local government context. By illuminating these factors, the research contributes to a deeper theoretical understanding, informs evidence-based policy development, and provides actionable recommendations for enhancing project management practices.

The implementation of lockdown measures by the government of Zimbabwe in response to the health emergency triggered by COVID-19 resulted in the adoption of emergency fiscal measures comprising supplementary budgets, budget reprioritisations and use of contingency reserves to support the economy and procure personal protective equipment (PPEs). However, the suspension of budget and procurement oversight by the Parliament of Zimbabwe – which was unable to function due to lockdown directives, and the reliance on performance auditing (post-audits) by Supreme Audit Institutions created a fiscal oversight vacuum. The reliance on performance auditing - audit action taken after the expenditure period has been completed, by the Auditor General of Zimbabwe resulted in unaccountable emergency spending and public procurement which led to widespread corruption. Using systematic review results from a Doctoral study, this study seeks to synthesise best practice lessons from countries that managed to use Real Time Audits (RTAs) to enforce real-time fiscal accountability during COVID-19. The analysis then provides a framework upon which the Auditor General’s office and Parliament can integrate their process through RTAs to institutionalise real time oversight on public expenditure during a national emergency. For RTAs to become part of Zimbabwe’s legislative oversight framework during emergencies, the review results underlined the importance of a review of the parliamentary oversight system, review of public finance and audit legislation, codification of emergency oversight instruments and citizen oversight.

Focusing on the challenges faced by entrepreneurship educators in South Africa, we employed a qualitative research approach.  The aim was to offer valuable insights that are applicable to similar educational settings and contribute to the broader discourse on entrepreneurship education. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews from a purposive sample of seven entrepreneurship educators in South Africa. The qualitative data collected for this study was analysed using thematic analysis with the support of ATLAS.ti version 24. The research reveals that educators encounter challenges in keeping the curriculum current due to changes in technology, market trends, and the rapidly evolving business environment. The findings also indicated that one semester was insufficient for educators to cover all the theoretical and practical aspects of entrepreneurship. Additionally, student engagement posed a challenge for educators as students showed more interest in pursuing formal employment rather than starting their own businesses. Interdisciplinary collaboration, lack of local case studies, networking and industry connections, resource constraints, and short-term teaching contracts were also identified as some of the challenges faced by entrepreneurship educators in universities. The practical implications suggest a need to promote entrepreneurship by implementing initiatives such as workshops and mentorship programs with successful entrepreneurs. The research fills a gap in the existing literature, as there is a limited understanding of the specific challenges faced by entrepreneurship educators.

South Africa continues to experience a prevalent predisposition to using diversity to over-emphasise difference to justify exclusion at the expense of a constitutionally inspired social cohesion. However, research has yet to highlight essentialist diversity discourse that undermines the aim of social cohesion in South Africa. Accordingly, this study examines the constructs of essentialist diversity discourse that undermine the aim of social cohesion in Post-Apartheid South Africa. This study utilised an inductive qualitative content analysis approach. Data, in particular, secondary text collected from court judgements, was analysed using qualitative inductive content analysis. The inductive qualitative content analysis highlights that linguicism, historicentrism, cultural and heritage purism and racial supremacy constitute key essentialist diversity discourse, manifest exclusion and divisions. The constructs of the essentialist discourse of diversity fragment the South African society and undermine the inclusivity as the aims of social cohesion. The findings indicate that the government needs to focus on promoting multiculturalism through celebrating differences and highlighting an inclusive narrative to make communities comfortable with being different together in order to make progress towards social cohesion in South Africa

Entrepreneurship is essential in tackling youth unemployment and poverty in South Africa. Yet, little empirical research explores how entrepreneurial skills, support systems, and societal values impact university students' entrepreneurial activities and success. This study examines the effects of these factors on students’ entrepreneurial outcomes and investigates how societal values may influence the relationship between activity and success. Conducted among students at the University of the Western Cape and the University of Mpumalanga, the research employed a quantitative, positivist approach. Data from 314 students were collected via a structured questionnaire, and validated constructs were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed relationships. Results show that entrepreneurial skills and support systems significantly drive entrepreneurial activity, which in turn positively influences entrepreneurial success. Societal values also directly predict success, but they do not significantly moderate the link between activity and success. Overall, entrepreneurial competencies and support mechanisms are crucial for student outcomes, while societal values enhance success but have limited moderating effects. This research is among the first in South Africa to integrate empowerment theory and an expanded Theory of Planned Behaviour to explain student entrepreneurship. It offers valuable insights for higher education institutions, policymakers, and entrepreneurship programmes aiming to promote success in emerging economies.

This paper examines the role of social media in enhancing public participation within the Mossel Bay Municipality, focusing on both opportunities and challenges. While social media platforms have become important channels for communication, participation, and accountability between citizens and local government, their integration into governance processes in South Africa remains underexplored. Existing literature primarily focuses on national-level initiatives or metropolitan municipalities, leaving a gap in understanding the dynamics of social media use in smaller municipal contexts. This research addresses this gap by investigating how social media platforms can strengthen citizen engagement, participation, and accountability in a local municipality. Employing a qualitative approach, the study involved semi-structured interviews with 20 participants, including municipal officials, councillors, and ward committee members. The findings reveal that social media offers significant opportunities to engage diverse audiences, particularly youth, working adults, and urban populations often excluded from traditional participation channels. However, challenges such as digital inequality, limited interaction, and insufficient strategic planning constrain its effectiveness. The study underscores the need for Mossel Bay Municipality to move beyond one-way communication and develop a comprehensive social media strategy with clear goals, interactive mechanisms, and inclusive engagement practices. By focusing on a local municipal context, this research advances e-governance scholarship in South Africa, highlighting practical strategies for leveraging social media to enhance participatory governance and promote social inclusion.

This paper examines the financial sustainability problems encountered by the Kuyasa Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project, which renovated 2,309 low-income residences with solar water heaters, compact fluorescent lighting, and insulated ceilings.  Notwithstanding its environmental and social advantages, the project encountered considerable financial deficits, especially in maintenance funding, attributed to decreasing Certified Emission Reduction (CER) values and delays in payout.  A concurrent triangulation mixed-methods approach was utilised.  Quantitative data were gathered from 370 people of Kuyasa using structured questionnaires, while qualitative insights were acquired through semi-structured interviews with 20 specialists in the energy sector.  The analysis was based on the "Integrated Participatory Sustainable Framework," which integrates systems theory, sustainability theory, community empowerment, and energy availability.  The findings indicated that the project's financial unsustainability stemmed from constraints in the revenue stream, contribution channels, loan repayment strategies, and community empowerment initiatives, culminating in a negative Net Present Value (NPV).  The paper introduces the "Sustainable Chameleon Strategy to Overcome Challenges," which figuratively utilises ten adaptive traits of the chameleon to guide context-specific, sustainable financial processes.  The study presents a replicable framework for renewable energy initiatives, proposing techniques to enhance financial viability via innovative design, stakeholder engagement, and adaptable finance mechanisms beyond the CDM.  This study presents the innovative "Sustainable Chameleon Strategy to Overcome Financial Sustainability Challenges," which provides a creative and integrative method for addressing financial sustainability issues in community-based renewable energy initiatives, particularly in low-income and developing nations.